New season, but no games at ‘retired’ youth baseball field in Loudoun County
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The pitcher’s mound and home plate have been dug up at Lions Field, in Aldie, Virginia. The longtime home to youth baseball was sold in 2022.
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
During an early morning visit, on a drizzly Tuesday, the “Green Monster” fence in left field remains, as does the scoreboard in right-center field. However, banners of previous years champions are gone.
Through its final season, teams lovingly cared for the grass field after each game or practice, with young players raking the infield and home plate dirt. Now, the infield dirt includes a wide variety of weeds.
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Now that baseball games are no longer played at Lions Field, the once-manicured infield dirt now is home to a variety of weeds.
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
The benches have been upended in team dugouts, and the aluminum bleachers have been removed.
Little League schedules have been shifted to new fields, including Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park, which opened in 2022.
However, the future of the land Lions Field sits on is not as clear.
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Local Little League and travel baseball teams have shifted games to other fields in Loudoun County.
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Land records show Kuhn’s company purchased the land on Dec. 28, 2022.
As of Tuesday’s visit, the property has not been cleared or altered dramatically, and no new businesses have started to move in.
Contacted by WTOP, an assistant to Kuhn says JK Land Holdings is awaiting site plan approval from the county for development on the former field of dreams.
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Lions Field’s “Green Monster” fence in left field is still in place, but well-hit baseballs won’t be flying over it this season.
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
Kuhn, one of the most successful developers in the nation, has also put much of the Loudoun County land he owns or acquires into conservation, and it totals more than 22,000 acres.
Earlier this decade, Kuhn and his family donated 128 acres to NOVA Parks. The former 134-acre Westpark Golf Course property in Leesburg is being redeveloped as a park. Kuhn turned 150 acres near Purcellville into the nonprofit JK Community Farm.
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Youth baseball teams that played and practiced at Lions Field have won state championships.
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
In 2022, a team of 12-year-old Little Leaguers headed from Lions Field to the regional championships in Georgia, but fell short of making it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
WTOP’s Jeff Clabaugh contributed to this report.
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Neal Augenstein
Neal Augenstein has been a reporter at WTOP since 1997. Through the years, Neal has covered many of the crimes and trials that have gripped the region. Neal's been pleased to receive awards over the years for hard news, feature reporting, use of sound and sports.
